It's been three years since the friendly hometown showdown between Lake City and Coeur d'Alene high schools has been held in its traditional fashion.

Fight for the Fish is back, with basketball games and the main spirit showcases to be held in the CHS gym Friday evening. The girls basketball game is at 5:30 p.m., while the boys play at 7 p.m.

CHS and LCHS students are doubling down in the most spirited ways in the days leading up to the tournament. They're making signs, practicing cheers, decorating and coordinating to ensure their school wins the wooden Fish trophy — a coveted prize that symbolizes good sportsmanship, creativity, highly impressive cheer and band performances and an all-encompassing show of school pride.

“The students are pretty excited. It’s our first year since 2020," Coeur d'Alene High School Associated Student Body President Nate Bullock said Wednesday. "It’s been a week of getting to educate all the underclassmen on what Fight for the Fish is and what it’s about. It’s kind of been lost in translation over the years.

"We’re really focused on just getting everyone to know the hype behind it, get really excited about it, learn all the cheers and show the Viking legacy of it all."

Lake City Timberwolves are rocking aviator glasses and dog tags this week for the "Top Gun" theme, while Coeur d'Alene Vikings are on board for fin-tastic fun with a pirate theme.

"It's a friendly rivalry," LCHS senior Jack Stafford said, dressed in surfer attire during the Bikers vs. Surfers spirit day.

"I'm super excited," he said. "It's been a really long road since the last one. It's been really fun as a senior getting to see all the other classes get to experience their first Fight for the Fish. Last year, we almost had, but it was canceled like a day or two before, which was a huge bummer. It was palpable the day after it got canceled, everyone was super bummed."

Stafford's friend and band colleague, Luke Neary, a sophomore, sported a sweet pair of shades and a bandana around his forehead.

"Our whole goal is to include a ton of people," Neary said

The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for the cancellations of the Fish in 2021 and 2022, so this is a new experience for students in ninth through 11th grades.

"I'm really excited," Stafford said. "It's great to get to see all the preparation that goes into it, see the result of all the work we do."

CHS won the Fish in 2020, breaking LCHS' nine-year winning streak. The Fish has since been housed at CHS.

“We get to show the underclassmen especially what the true meaning of Fight for the Fish is — it’s community, unity, showing respectfulness, school spirit — and it’s really fun just to even sell spirit packs and make posters," CHS senior and ASB secretary Kendall Hanson said. "Kids are excited to go, and we’re ready. It’s normal this year. It’s finally our year, so we’re going to take it and run with it.”

LCHS Student Council Junior Rep. Ashley Kerns said since this is three grades' first Fish, she and her peers are rallying to amp up the school spirit.

"This Fish is really important to us because it's an opportunity to bring our school spirit and engagement within our whole school and community," Kerns said.

Kerns is a cheerleader who has worked to help her classmates learn the different spirit cheers.

"That's why I'm so passionate about the cheers this year, making sure they're simple so people can understand them," she said. "I just want everything to go seamlessly so we can have as much engagement as possible."

LCHS Junior Class Vice President Macie Lilyquist said it's not just a game — it's about keeping people engaged and promoting positivity between the schools and throughout the community.

Fight for the Fish coincides with the All for AWL (All With Love) community service project that began in 2021 when students were unable to have Fight for the Fish, but still wanted to work together to make an impact in their community. This newer tradition has continued each year without the spirit competition and basketball games, so this will be the first year everything will be in full swing.

"We are rival schools, but we are not rival people," Kerns said. "This week, and this month in particular, is really about giving back to our community as a whole, with both of our schools. With All for AWL and Fight for the Fish, we are able to bring that sense of community to our town, especially with the way it's growing. A lot of our parents went to this, so that sense of involvement and unity is generational."

"Everyone is engaged," Lilyquist said. "We try to make this week all about our kids staying engaged and united together."

Some students have been so excited about the event, they worked on posters and spirit routines throughout winter break. That enthusiasm will be on full display when the Fish goes up for grabs again, at long last.

“It will be a good competition," CHS junior Class Rep. Lexi Bateman said. “We've had a lot of student participation, and I think it will be really good, come Friday night. It will be a good little battle. We have a lot of spirit and sportsmanship going into this. It’ll be fun.”